Clash of the Teens: Release the Krapen
by TooManyGoodCharacters143
Summary: The Titans face old enemies under a new guise: The Robin and Starfire Fan Club, formed after the two make their relationship public. The sequel to my fic TUMSATTFE, though you don't have to read it to understand this fic.
1. Episode 1

Note: This is a sequel to "The Ultra Mega Super Awesome Teen Titans Fanfic Extravaganza or Smells Like Titan Spirit", so you might want to read that before reading this, but you won't really need to as this fanfic won't relate to that one that much, though there are a few things in the episode that relate to it. The title is a reference to the film "Clash of the Titans" where the ancient monster the Kraken (think scaly green humanoid merman giant, not POTC crab) is released when an old guy yells "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!" And this fanfic will be just as awesome as that moment. So, without further ado...

* * *

In the days before the Teen Titans, the Jump City Prison was lucky to go a day without someone trying to escape. There was so much havoc there that the top guards from all over the world had to be shipped in to stop all the crazies from getting out, and they often failed. But lately, no one ever escaped. Ever since the Teen Titans had frozen almost every Jump City-based villain, the prison was, well, boring. The villains had been shipped to the prison in the aftermath of the incident, and in that time they had been kept frozen while professors worked to find ways to neutralize their powers. This worked, so almost all the villains were depowered, and unfrozen quickly after, even the ones who had no powers in the first place. So now it was a quiet place, disturbed by the occasional shanking or rape attempt, but otherwise as quaint as a prison can get. Tonight, that wouldn't change. But the recent trend of no escapes would.

The main security guard sat in his office near the entrance of the prison, not really watching the TV screens to see if anything was wrong, but reading Stephen King's IT. But he was a vigilant man, and he had sat at this very desk for around 20 years. He knew when something was wrong. He was sitting there, musing over the exploits of the Loser's Club, when a knock came on his door. His office was surrounded by plexiglass, so he could see anything that was going on outside. "Come in." he said, not closing his book. A guard walked in. He was handsome, and he was guiding a handcuffed old man in a prison uniform by the shoulder. The old man was silent and sullen, wiggling his nose because his glasses had slipped down and caused it to itch, and he couldn't scratch it because his hands were cuffed behind his back.

"I know it's late, sir," the guard started, "but the upper management has requested we move this prisoner to the Haverton facility." "Really..." the head guard said. He looked at the guard and his quarry. The guard was almost _too_ handsome to be one, he looked like he belonged in a magazine somewhere. He also looked too young to be a guard, but the head supposed he just aged well. "You know, I don't recall seeing you around before," he said, going back to his book "Are you new?" The guard blushed, seeming embarrassed, something a normal prison guard probably wouldn't do, but the head guard didn't see it, he was too busy reading to look at some guard. "Uh, yes, actually, I am. I just moved here from Run." "And they gave you the duties of transporting a prisoner? Sure, he doesn't look like much, but that can be a tough job..." "Oh, I doubt that, this one hasn't been known to cause much trouble. I have the necessary papers right here, if you could sign these..." The guard took the papers out from behind his back and put them on the desk. The head had signed so many of these papers in his time he didn't even need to look up. "But still, I think we'll send another guard to accompany you, just in case anything goes wrong." he stated. If he would have looked up, he would have seen the guard grow even more apprehensive. "You can wait outisde, if you like." he said to the guard. "Um, oh, okay," the guard said, and he left with the old prisoner.

Things went quickly from there. After glancing at a clipboard, the head used the intercom to call a guard (who looked like quite a tough man, with a nicely cut beard and no hair), and soon he could hear the muffled noises of a prison van moving over the gravel parking lot and out of the gates, onto the road. What he didn't hear were the punching noises that came soon after, and later the sound of a body being dumped into a field (though he would have to have superhearing to hear that), along with, curiously, a pair of handcuffs. Inside the van, there was no speaking, but the young guard took off his hat, threw it in the back and grinned. The old man climbed into the front of the van, grinning as well, because they were both thinking the same thing: _We're out._

**RadicalE Productions Presents...**

**CLASH OF THE TEENS: RELEASE THE KRAPEN**

It was a beautiful morning at Titans Tower. The sun shined into the main room, illuminating almost everything in its gleeful light. Two of the five Titans were currently in the room: Cyborg, making waffles for breakfast, and Raven, doing some early meditation. The room was silent, except for the sultry sizzle of the waffles, which was comforting in its own special way. The doors to the room slid open, and Robin and Starfire walked in, hand in hand. Starfire was almost shaking, her face red with was was apparently excitement. "Titans..." Robin started. "We have something to say." He and Starfire walked down the stairs to the middle of the room. Cyborg was looking up attentively and Raven had one eye open. "There have been rumors about me and Star having a relationship ever since the Tokyo mission, and the public is anxious to hear something about it from the team. So, me and Star have decided..." at this, Starfire jumped up and said gleefully "We are going to make our relationship publically public!"

At this, Raven opened her other eye, a sign that she at least cared a little about what was going on. "That's great, guys!" Cyborg said, smiling. "Want some waffles to celebrate? They're made with looove..." "Thanks Cyborg, but me and Star aren't really that hungry right now," Robin replied, as always in a serious voice. "Unless you are?" He questioned, looking at Starfire. N-No, thank you." Starfire answered, a little bit breathless from the magnitude of the announcement. "Congratulations, you guys." Raven spoke. "Thank you very much, friend Raven!" Starfire joyfully replied. "Yes Raven, thank y-" Robin started to say, as a noise suddenly started to echo from somewhere on that floor. Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking it might be an enemy. "Groovin," The voice sang as it came closer to the main room. "On a Sun-day af-ternoo-oon..." It finished as the doors slid open once again to reveal Beast Boy, a white towel wrapped around his midsection and his hair ruffled. "Hey, guys, what's-" he began in a happy voice, but he was silenced when he saw the other Titans' faces. "Uh...Hi guys...what'd I miss?"

The next day

"Hello, and welcome to the Seven O'clock News in Jump City, I'm Diane Freely, and tonight's top story: Is superhero love in the air? It seems so, as two members of renowned crimefighting group the Teen Titans have publicly announced their relationship..." All five Titans were once again gathered in the main room, but this time the sun was setting instead of shining. Every Titan except Raven was sitting on the couch (Raven never sits because her cape would get ruffled, and one time got stuck in the cushions, after which Best Boy laughed, quickly silenced himself, and then ran to his room and stayed there for about two hours), even Robin, who usually stood, was sitting exhaustedly, not from fighting, but from talking to the press.

The news report continued, showing a clip from earlier in the day. Robin was standing at a podium with the Titans logo on its front (it was really just a big cardboard sticker, but it looked professional). Starfire was standing on his side, nervous yet excited. Even Robin looked somewhat nervous. There were many reporters and other press people in a crowd in front of him, notepads at the ready in their hands. "I know there has been a lot of speculation regarding the relationship between me and Starfire ever since we were apparently seen together in Tokyo," he spoke into the many microphones situated onto the top of the podium, "and I've gathered everyone here because I feel that it would be the best for the team if you all know that me and Starfire are, in fact, in a romantic relationship." The press immediately started buzzing excitedly and jotting on their notepads. The clip ended and the news report resumed.

"Robin continued to say that the relationship between him and Starfire would strengthen the team's bond with each other, and also the team's image in the public eye. After the press conference, Robin and Stafire returned to the..." "Musta been a tough day." Beast Boy remarked. "Oh, yes it was!" Starfire replied. "There was much interviewing by the reporters and writers of news-papers!" "Star, PLEASE don't talk to me about newspapers," Cyborg said in a strained voice. "I haven't fully forgiven you for that yet..." "It wasn't her fault," Robin responded. "She was under their control." "Yeah, but still..."

Late that night

A cab was driving through Jump City. Inside it was the faux prison guard and the old man. They were chowing down on burgers from Sparky's down the street, their demeanors from the escape abandoned. "Man, I haven't had a good burger in the longest time..." the guard who wasn't a guard said. "Psh," the old man replied. "I'm only eatin' this outta necessity, what I wouldn't do for a nice cup o' tea right now..." The young man finished his burger and put the wrapper in the glove compartment of the taxi (the owner of the taxi was lying on a side walk a few blocks back). "Well, it's time to go," he said. "Where?" The old man asked. His companion paused a second before grinning, happy at finally getting back to doing what he does best. "Radioshack."


	2. Episode 2

**CLASH OF THE TEENS: RELEASE THE KRAPEN**

Episode 2: Fan Clubbing

It was a nice evening at the Michelangelo, the most prestigious restaurant in Jump City, a restaurant so prestigious that it didn't even says "Restaurant" after its name, it was just "the Michelangelo". There was some nice piano music echoing throughout the busy establishment, mixed in with the voices of the rich and generally cool people that were there. But tonight was a special night, for there were two people there that had even the generally cool people darting their eyes about every few seconds, hoping they could catch a glimpse.

Yes, the rumors were true (well, a lot the rumors in the _Jump City Birdseye_ AREN'T true, but this one in particular was), Robin and Starfire of the world-renowned superhero team the Teen Titans were on their first public date. The press weren't allowed at the event (at least not inside the building, there were plenty of them snapping pictures outside the restaurant), and since it was their first non-crime-fighting public sighting since the announcement that they were dating was made two weeks back, it was a good thing, cuz not only was this an important event for the people of Jump City, it was also an important event for Robin and Starfire. It was their chance to show the world that they were, well, a normal couple, and that was what they were doing.

Well, Starfire was doing it better than Robin was. They were both wearing usual dress wear, Starfire in a black dress with fancy silver earrings and Robin in a nice tuxedo, but while Starfire was elated to be with Robin out in public, Robin was a bit on edge. How was he to know that no one was just going to shoot one of them in the head while they were sitting there? He hadn't hired any protection, and even though all the big villains were gone there were still regular robbers out there, and it's not that hard to get a gun these days. The fact that, when they walked in, the bouncer (wearing a blue hat that didn't match the rest of his clothing at all) had assured them he would protect them was good, but what if there were tons of robbers? Robin tried to push the crazy thought out of his head, and tried to listen to Starfire talk about what kind of foods she hoped they would serve here.

She was throwing out the names of many Tamaranian foods which Robin knew would taste horrible just by the name, but at least he had educated Starfire a bit on table manners before going there. She seemed to be doing fine, looking beautiful as always, and not too energetic. Their (well, more just her) conversation was interrupted when the waiter came over and asked what they would like for a drink. Robin noticed that he was wearing the same blue hat that the bouncer was wearing, and that there was some kind of insignia on it. Since he didn't want to be impolite, he didn't take a closer look, but he did take note of it before ordering some apple juice, as no matter what your social status was the drinking age was still 21. Robin didn't mind much, though, he liked his apple juice. Starfire asked the waiter if he had any Tamaranian drinks, he said no, and she ordered some chocolate milk...With a bottle of mustard. The waiter left, and Starfire continued talking. "I hear that humans have a food very similar to rolled blugworms..." It was at that moment when Robin felt the strangest sensation, like he was being watched. Sure, he felt this often and sometimes almost hit one of his team members when they walked up to him to say something, but this time he felt it was genuine. Heck, everyone in the establishment was probably watching them! _But why shouldn't they be?_ Robin thought. _It's not every day we go out on a nice little date._ But he couldn't turn around, he had to pay attention to Starfire! It was out of the question. _But they could be planning a group attack! No...It's out of the question...OUT OF IT..._But Robin's instincts triumphed in the end, and he quickly turned around to see a few people quickly turning back to their food. Robin, knowing that they were probably just looking cuz it was freaking Robin and freaking Starfire, didn't do anything rash, but narrowed his eyes, stared for a few seconds and turned back to Starfire.

"Sorry," he said. "I just-" "Oh, were you looking at the hats?" Starfire cut in, not angry like Robin though she would be. "The hats?" Robin replied. "Yes, they are quite nice!" Starfire said. "You didn't see them?" "Well, I did see that the bouncer and the waiter were wearing hats, but..." Robin turned back around, and that time only one or two people turned rapidly back to their meals, but he saw that both of those people, along with the ones who turned earlier, were all wearing the same hats as some of the employees. _What the heck is going on?_ Robin thought, turning back to Starfire again. "Star, do you know why everyone is wearing those hats?" he asked her. "No...But you can ask the "waiter", he is walking here now!"

Sure enough, the same hat-wearing waiter who had took their orders was coming back to give them their food. _At least the service is good here,_ Robin thought before the waiter got to their table. He had turned his hat around since retrieving their order, but that didn't keep Robin from asking. The waiter finished placing their drinks (along with Starfire's mustard) on the table. "Alright, what'll you be ordering for entrees tonight?" He asked them. "Well, first," Robin started, "if I could possibly ask what that hat is and why so many people in this restaurant are wearing it." The waiter immediately turned beet-red. "Er...Um..." "I'd really like to know." Robin said. "It's...." the waiter said something unintelligible. Robin leaned in close to the waiter, who looked like he was going to faint. "Can you please say that again?" "Uh...Um..." The waiter stuttered. "It's f-for...th-the...It'sforthefanclub." After saying this he immediately dashed away, walking as fast as he could walk. Robin and Starfire were silent for a bit. Then Starfire broke the silence. "The what?"

Titans Tower

"The Robin and Starfire Fan Club," Cyborg said, a non-evil newspaper in his hands. "Can you believe it?" he looked up from the couch at Raven and Beast Boy, who were in the kitchen. "What I can't believe is that you're sitting in front of the TV and not watching it, and that your alternative is reading the newspaper...And it's 8:30 at night." Raven commented. "Oh Raven." Cyborg shook his head. "Just cuz I don't read the paper in the morning doesn't mean I don't read it at all." "Well that's probably because you're too busy examining every inch of your waffles to do that." There was a short silence. "Uh, YES." Beast Boy and Cyborg said at the same time, before breaking out into laughter. "But really," Cyborg continued, "why would anyone gather a whole group of people just to support _two_ people?" "Cuz love is mysterious," Beast Boy replied jokingly. "Right, Raven?" "Right, Garfield." "Aw, c'mon!"

An hour and a few minutes later

Robin and Starfire entered the main room looking flustered. A calm voice sounded from the front of the room, where the huge TV was on. "The Sasquatch is usually rumored to dwell in New England and the surrounding areas...." "Team meeting." Robin called. Raven (who always held the remote as a tiebreaker for Beast Boy and Cyborg when it was just the three of them) turned off the TV and got up. "Man, if only _I_ could turn into a Sasquatch..." Beast Boy was saying to Cyborg as they got up. "Then I would just roam the forest, freaking people out! Of course, they'd know it was me..." Robin took off his coat, and, being a gentleman, Starfire's, and layed them on the kitchen table. He looked pretty strange in just a tuxedo shirt. "Well, something very interesting happened to me and Starfire while we were having dinner..." "Stalkers?" Cyborg asked. Robin was somewhat surprised. "Well, yes..." "We heard," Beast Boy said. "Some fan club springing up to support you guys." "You HEARD?" Robin almost yelled. "WHERE?" "The paper," Beast Boy said. "They had a little blurb about it in the celebrity section." He said the last two words with a certain bravado, as he had been mentioned in that section quite a few times, which must mean he was a celebrity. "Apparently, no one even knows who owns it. The members of the club say he's a really cool guy, though."

"Well whoever they are, they're spreading quickly." Robin stated. "Robin..." Raven started. "Don't tell me you think that this is some kind of crime syndicate out to get you?" "Well, you never know," Robin replied, Beast Boy and Cyborg groaning. "But if we don't find anything on the computer about where this fan club is and who owns it, which I have a feeling we won't, I think we may have to send someone out undercover." Robin hooked up the computer and looked for a few minutes. "Nothing," he said, sighing. "You guys see where I'm coming from, right? Doesn't this all seem a little too mysterious to just be some club?" "Well, I guess, but-" Beast Boy said before Robin interrupted him. "No...I think we're going to need to investigate. We're going to have to send someone out. It can't be you, Beast Boy, because even if we put makeup on you it would still look bad, and it can't be you (looking at Cyborg this time) because there's no way to hide your shape without looking shady. It can't be you (Starfire) because of your skin and your eyes(he also thought she would probably get way too excited about it), and it can't be me because people know how I talk and what I look like here in Jump City. In Japan it was different, but here....no. So that only leaves one of us." Everyone looked at the remaining Titan. "You know..." Beast Boy said. "Teenage emo chicks do like to support celebrity relationships...."


	3. Episode 3

**CLASH OF THE TEENS: RELEASE THE KRAPEN**

Episode Three: Hats

The next day...

The streets around the Robin and Starfire Fan Club headquarters were bustling. People were walking everywhere, talking about the big club dinner that day and the other activities they had planned. Everyone was happy...Except for Raven. She was pissed as hell, though she wasn't showing it because that would put the mission in Jeopardy. She had to learn as much about what the club had planned, and it's mysterious leader, as possible. And she wasn't pissed about doing some investigation, she was pissed about her disguise. Raven looked like the most emo teenager anyone had ever seen. She wore a black, long-sleeved T-shirt with the "Dark Side Bandits" logo on it, the emblem of a band that no emo kid could not like. She wore skin-tight jeans that were suffocating her legs, and had copious amounts of blush and other makeup on her face to disguise her skin color as much as possible. They had dyed her hair black and gelled it into what looked like a hairdo that the Flock Of Seagulls singer rejected, with her sideburns made into two curly-Qs that looped around her ears, and a huge, flat spike of hair going right down her foreheard, obscuring the red jewel embedded into it, and the rest slicked back. The gel was so thick that it almost looked like an alien war helmet instead of actual hair. The last thing they did was give her contacts that made her eyes blue instead of dark purple.

She had to keep a normal composure, which was hard, but she was a good actor when she tried, and this was one of those times. Robin seemed to think that this was the most important mission since they had to protect Arnold Schwarzenegger from Calender Man's nephew. In front of the large business building where the headquarters was, there was a large table with a big banner that said "JOIN THE CLUB" on the front of it. At the table were stacks of pamphlets and T-Shirts, buttons were laid out, bust most plentiful of all were those hats. Stacks of them were everywhere, on the table, on, the ground, some people even were even wearing stacks of five or more on their heads. Sitting behind the table was a chubby man. He looked to be about 30, and wore thick, circular-lensed glasses. He also had a voluminous red beard though his head was shaved. Raven thought he looked sort of familiar, like someone you sat next to on the bus, but she couldn't quite remember if she'd seen him before. She walked up to the table, where tons of the other people were grabbing all the swag displayed, the people who weren't wearing hats taking them and putting them on. "Excuse me," Raven asked the man, whose head turned in her direction while the rest of his body was rapidly handing out swag. "Can you tell me exactly what this club does?" "Weeeell, the man began, "We were created to Thupport the romantic relationship of Robin and Thtarfire, of the thuperteam the Teen Titanth, who we all know and very much love."  
"Alright," Raven said. _Nothing malicious there..._ "So, uh, how do you get so many members?" she asked, almost having to yell over the noise of the crowd. "Well, we have a whole lot of benefits...Free food at every meeting is definitely a pluth, ethpecially for me!" He laughed, and Raven strained herself to laugh with him. What came was an odd "HENH" noise, but the man didn't seem to care. "We give free clothes, and have a charity for the homeleth, all non-profit of courthe...We also give discounts for the dental officeth located in our headquarterth, hm...Our president is a very rich man. Here, have a hat." he said, taking one from the top of a stack and handing it to her. "They're the talk of the town right now, very stylish, clearly designed by someone who knows fathion..."  
"Hm," Raven replied, trying to look more interested then she was. "So, who exactly _is_ your president?"  
"Oh, that's clathified." the man said. "Classified?"  
"Yeth, he'th always working tho he hardly hath time to be in public..." He bent closer to Raven. "Though there'th rumorth that he'th going to make an appearenth at the club charity dinner today." _Today!_ Raven was surprised they'd hold such a big event so early. Maybe Robin was right to be suspicious, but she still had her doubts. Before she could ask where the picnic was going to be, the man supplied her with all the information she needed. "It's going to be at the Grossman Thtreet area of the Jump Thity Park from four to nine. There'th gonna be all kinds of fun thtuff there, so you should come." He smiled. "Alright, Thanks!" Raven said, sounding upbeat. "I'll be sure to come!" She put on the hat and walked away, waving. _Well, that's all I need...The picnic is three hours from now..._ Now she just needed to walk to Ambry Street, where Beast Boy would be waiting in an alley with her normal clothes so she could fly back home without looking weird.

Walking took a lot longer then she thought. Upon arriving at the alley, Beast Boy joked about how she apparently looked nice, and when she got mad (well, as mad as she can get on the outside anyway) said he meant it. It was typical Beast Boy, stooping that low to make a joke. After that, they flew back to the Tower, with Beast Boy as a Pterodactyl and Raven carrying all of her "undercover" clothes, including the hat, in her arms.

Back at the Tower, Raven told the rest of the team (including a sad-looking Beast Boy), who were gathered around the kitchen table, about what she heard. "Now," she said "Just because the leader is mysterious and rich, and just because the guy at the table looked sort of familiar, doesn't meant that there's anything nefarious going on here. So Robin, I know protecting the city is your goal, but please think rationally."  
"Hm, well," Robin replied, "We should probably take a look at the hat," he motioned to the hat, which Cyborg was currently feeling, "and see if there's anything on it that might be interesting."  
"Uh, guys..." Cyborg said with a strange look on his face. "I don't think there's anything on the hat...but there's definitely something inside it. In between the fabric on the top and the fabric that touches your head...It sort of feels like a mesh net..."  
"What!" Robin exclaimed. "Give me that!" Cyborg handed the hat to Robin, who felt it and squeezed it carefully as not to break anything that might be inside. "You're right, Cyborg. There's something in here. It looks like it's covering most of the inside of it...Star, get me a knife. A sharp one." he commanded. "Alright," Starfire said, running to the back of the kitchen and grabbing one of the smaller knives from the wooden "knife block" on the counter. She ran back and gave it to Robin, who cut a part of the hat near the edge, slipped his finger under, and ripped it open. What they saw, none of them expected.

Under the fabric were wires, tons of tiny, thin wires, stretching all across the inside of the hat. Under the wires were what looked like computer chips made out of plastic so they molded to the contours of the hat. In the middle of it all was a miniscule, circular piece of metal, like a generator. "Man..." Cyborg said, starting in awe. "This is-unlike anything I've ever seen before! Who _made_ this?" "What, what is it!" Robin said hurriedly. "It's got parts I know...but they're so much _smaller_, so much simpler, but so complicated...Whoever did this has got to be a genius."  
"Well, do you know what it does?"  
"Uh...It looks like the sort of device you would use to monitor brain waves but-" he was interrupted by a gasp from Beast Boy. Robin's head snapped in his direction. "What is it!"  
"Um..." Beast Boy began. "I think...I think I know this from somewhere...It looks just like...just like the hats..." suddenly, Cyborg had a look of understanding as well. Beast Boy's voice became more serious. "You guys know Ultra Team? The old superhero cartoon from the 60s?"  
"Uh, yeah," Robin said. Cyborg was nodding along with Beast Boy. "Well," he continued, "Well, there's an episode, and it's really not that famous compared to some of the other ones, that had HATS, hats with insides just like these, that controlled peoples minds!"  
Robin was expecting something a little bit more concrete. "Now, Beast Boy-"  
"No, Robin." Cyborg interrupted him. This was EXACTLY what the insides of those hats looked like. The hats spread quickly across the populace because they were so fashionable, and once the villain had enough people for an army, he activated them all..." him and Beast Boy said it at the same time. "At a banquet!"

Even Robin was taken aback by the similarities. "So...This picnic...This picnic tonight...You think that these hats are made for mind control, and that tonight, they're going to be activated, putting everyone wearing them under the control of the leader of this club!"  
"Yeah..." Beast boy said. "After he made the army, he got them to catch the people who weren't wearing the hats, and put hats on them, which added them to the army...Robin, this could be bad, this could be really, really, bad." he said in a fearful voice. However, Robin was already thinking of a plan. "What time is it?" he asked Cyborg. "Uh..." Cyborg looked at the screen on his arm, which displayed the time as well as his power level. "3:32."  
"Alright. We have to get to that picnic and stop this. Now."

Jump City Park was alive with activity. Over 2000 people were already assembled in the area parallel to Grossman Street. There was a huge stage erected in the back of the area, in front of a copse of trees. On that stage, all the normal lighting equipment you might see at a concert was set up, not to mention a large tent in the middle of it. The tent was dark blue, and its door-folds were closed, so nobody outside could see in, though luckily I know all about what's inside because I'm telling the story. Inside was a man. He was young, though, only around 23. He missed his teenage years, when he was allowed to indulge in his hobbies without being ridiculed. He was talking with another man on the phone. Watching him was a woman, younger then the man by a year or more. She stood watching him, looking nervous and grasping a clipboard in her arms. "Alright," the man said to whoever was on the other side of the phone call. "We might have to start early. I have a feeling they might know...Look, I don't want to take chances either, but there are enough people out there...Look, I'll just tell them that we were going to start when there's enough people, and there is so we can...Yes, great!" he said in an exhausted tone. "Finally, jeez. You see what I mean, right?" He grinned, and said in a pondering voice, "We're not so different, you and I..." he waited a moment and then laughed. "Well, it's funny to me. ...I'll call you when it's all over. This is gonna work, I can tell. ...Alright. I will." He turned to the younger woman. "Layla, as you heard we're going to start early. Please go out there, get the megaphone, and tell everyone to gather 'round, as we don't want to keep them waiting. They won't have enough time to suspect anything. We'll just have to put the plan into action."  
"Alright, sir." Layla walked out of the tent. The man stood there in thought. _Too many times have the Titans defeated me. Now, they will fall to the hands of the very people they protect._

**TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**Note: The band and show mentioned in this episode are fictional, but that doesn't mean that I won't mention any real ones.**  
**


	4. Episode 4

**CLASH OF THE TEENS: RELEASE THE KRAPEN**

Episode 4: The Enactment of the Plan to Take Over Jump City by the President of the Robin and Starfire Fan Club

"Ahem!" The woman on the stage cleared her throat. She was obviously nervous, but she had a job to do. "Would everybody here please gather around the stage? Enough of you have arrived that we can start the event early...and don't worry, the food will still be there when you get back!" There were now around 2,500 people gathered around that area of the park, most, if not all wearing the fan club's trademark blue hats. They all started to walk towards the stage, some gathering as much free food as they could onto their plates before going. "Alright," Layla continued, a finger on her left hand twisting a lock of her hair. "The President will be out very soon-" the crowd briefly applauded at a mention of their leader- "So if you could just wait a little bit more, you'll finally get to see him!" The crowd applauded for a bit longer. Layla fast-walked back into the tent, where her employer was waiting.  
"How many now?"  
"Around 2-and-a-half thousand, sir, with more arriving every second."  
"Good. We need as many as we can get...Layla, I-er-" the orange-haired man swallowed. "I want to thank you for everything you've done. You've been a great assistant."  
Layla blushed. "Oh, thank you very much, sir. It's really no problem..."  
"Well, it's time. Wish me luck."  
"I am, sir."  
"Thanks." If you had witnessed only this touching scene, it'd be hard to believe that a major evil plan was being put into action.  
The president stepped gingerly outside of the tent, to the thunderous applause of his fans. This was the first time they had ever seen him. He spread out his arms. "Hello, members of my club!" he began. "Welcome to the event that will change the history of Jump City, and perhaps the world..." he laughed, making it seem to the crowd like he wasn't entirely serious, but he most definitely was. "...Forever!"  
_

The T-Car sped through the city, with all of the Titans inside it, madly dodging the other cars that were going about their business. Every Titan was inside. Cyborg was in the driver's seat, as always, and Robin sat next to him, watching the GPS screen rather (which wasn't really needed, as Cy knew exactly where he was going) than looking where they were going, as it helped him focus. In the back seat was, from left to right, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy. T-Car seating was normally organized this way, as it protected against fights between Raven and Beast Boy. The GPS screen said that they would reach their destination in three minutes. "Cyborg," Robin started, "I know you can't go any faster but it would be really great if you could go faster right now."  
"Thank you, Robin, for that COMPLETELY USELESS COMMENT!"  
Cyborg was as tense as Robin. They were all tense; they had uncovered a massive plan, and had mere minutes to stop it. The T-Car sped through the city, Jump City Park growing closer.  
_

"I have joined you all together for a common cause. You see, we need more people like Robin and Starfire in this world. Kind people, _good_ people, people who will never let us down, and never have. That's why this club doesn't support the relationship between any old celebrities, or even other superheroes...Because Robin and Starfire exemplify justice, and together they will open new doors of peace for the world."  
The crowd applauded. They were very into this, though their president felt like he was about to barf. _They're eating this crap up..._He thought. _Robin and Starfire...Perhaps I liked them once, but no more. This time, they will be crushed.  
__

Two minutes were remaining. "Robin..." Beast Boy said. "I don't know if we're gonna make it, man...And if we do, how do we even know how this guy's gonna do this? Is there a little remote control he has, or is there a giant machine, or what?"  
"I don't know," Robin said.  
"Well, jeez...That makes us a little bit unprepared, don't you think?"  
"Yes." Robin hated to admit it. "Yes, it does."  
_

"As strong as heroes are, they can't change the world without the help of the citizens they protect. This is why we are here. Supporting Robin and Starfire is not just 'Supporting Robin and Starfire' but supporting the welfare of the entire planet. Soon, we will spread not just through other cities, but through the state, nation, and world!" The crowd cheered, jumping with joy and support of their noble cause.

45 seconds left. Raven noticed something. "There's a two-dollar bill on the floor."  
"What!" Cyborg exclaimed. "That's mine! That's my lucky bill! I was wondering where it was!"  
The Titan's leader was, needless to say, not entertained by this situation.

"Well, at least I wanted it to be lucky," Cyborg continued. "But I lost it before I could try it out." He turned onto a new street, and suddenly the greenery of Jump City Park became visible. They were nearly there.  
_

"Now, to do this...To band together for the greater good of this world..." The president was reaching his speech's climax. "We must be more than just people acting together, we must be a mind, all-powerful, unwavering in its efforts." He readied himself to press the button on the control that would activate the mind-control devices woven into the hats, which was hidden where no one would find it, or want to touch it..."We need to be one." The crowd wasn't sure about this. It sounded a little extreme to them, but they passed it off as the president being overly passionate. "And I have a way of making us one, even if you don't want to be."  
_

The T-Car sped through the entrance to the huge expanse of grass and trees that was Jump City Park, the car's tires kicking up huge amounts of dirt. Yeah, it was destruction of government property, but it had to be done. The car weaved through the jogger's paths and decorative rosebushes, narrowly avoiding some latecomers to the picnic. The timer read twenty seconds.  
_

The president moved his hand just above his crotch, and pressed down on the single red button glued onto his underpants. It was a very good hiding place. The 3,000 spectators, all wearing hats, turned silent. Just like that, it was done. "Now, my minions," the president began, his voice taking on a strange, peevish quality that it had not had since he went to prison, "TAKE OVER JUMP CITY, AND CAPTURE THE TEEN TITANS!"  
_

The T-Car skidded to a stop, just in front of the mass of mind-controlled club members. Robin pressed a special "911-call" button on the dashboard before he jumped out of the car with the others. But it was too late. The zombie-like mass crowded around the Titans, grabbing each of them, and suddenly, everything the Titans knew about stopping evil was compromised. These people were not villains, they were the same people the Titans devoted their lives to protecting. If they hurt them, how could they live with themselves?  
"Azarath Metrio-MPH!" one of the clubbers slapped his hand over Raven's mouth before she could activate her powers. Beast Boy quickly transformed into a small hummingbird, but was caught when a clubber used an extra hat as a net of sorts, and held him in. He had no choice but to transform into a fly, as he knew that if he transformed into a large animal, he would crush some of the mind-controlled citizens, and if he turned back into his normal self, they would put a hat on him too, and he would just be another minion.

And so, the Titans were helpless. The hat-wearers that weren't holding them back were jamming hats on the heads of the picnicgoers who weren't wearing them, adding them to the mob.  
"Now," the president said, "I want you to witness my plan in action. When the police come, I will gain control of them as well. When I gave the order to 'Take over jump city,' it told all the hat-wearers to find those who AREN'T wearing hats, and GET the hats on their heads-except you guys, of course, I'll decide what to do with you later. With this many minions, and a nearly _unlimited_ supply of hats coming from a location which I will not reveal, every soul in Jump City should be under my control by the week's end. And I won't stop there. These hats aren't the only weapons I have. Soon, new weapons, also being produced at the mysterious location I mentioned, will aid me, and with my army I will take over the entire world!" He paused, grinning at his genius plan. "Oh, Titans..." His voice took on a nostalgic tone. "I admired you, you know. In our past fights, you soundly defeated me no matter what, and yet I was still fanboyishly attracted to you..."

_Huh?_ Robin thought. _We've never fought this guy before. I've never seen him before in my life!_ The other Titans (except Beast Boy, who couldn't hear what was going on) had similar thoughts.

"But that's over now. You see, I used to be a fat, ugly slob, but now I have went through _the change_. You know the change I speak of, the change that every man and woman must go through, though I admit I went through it a bit late, at the tender age of 23...But when my pimples disappeared and my armpit hair stopped growing, I was a new man. A more logical man-not to mention a more handsome man-a man that could live up to the name I could never live up to before. You know the name I speak of, _Titans_."

This last word came out sounding familiar to the Titans...It had a raspy quality to it that sounded like someone they knew, someone they HAD fought with...

"The name that only now, with the entire world under my _control_, will I be able to truly assume...The name...of **CONTROL FREAK!**"

* * *

Author's Note: A joke in this episode was edited on 4/1/2012 to be made more family-freindly (the underpants button). It's not that I didn't want to offend the kiddies, it's just that I really did think the original joke was so immature as to be out-of-place, and that I would feel odd telling people to read this fanfic, and then having them read that joke. If you're really just dying to know what the original joke was. PM me. There was barely a change, but it was a change that mattered.


	5. Episode 5

Episode Five: Capture and Escape

The Titans were stunned. Of all the people to execute a plan that, for the moment, seemed to have actually defeated them, it was _that guy_? And _that same guy_ now looked like a male model!

"Ah, yes, Titans," Control Freak continued, his voice going back to its more pleasing tone. "When I realized that puberty's hold on me was loosening, I formulated a plan to escape Jump City Prison. That plan went swimmingly, and here I am right now, looking at the results of my _second_ plan, a plan greater than any other me and..._I_ have created." He noticed something past the crowd. "Oh look, the pigs are here..."

Around six cop cars sped along the grass of the park, weaving through trees until they were close to where the T-Car was parked. Their cars screeched to a halt around the T-Car, and policemen burst from their doors, brandishing guns.  
"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" yelled one of them through a megaphone. "RELEASE THESE CITIZENS FROM YOUR CONTROL!"  
"Never!" Control Freak yelled. "If you want to save your precious Titans, you'll have to shoot your way through my little mob..." He could tell this fazed the men. The ones who were holding guns had them aimed at the crowd, but just stood there, shaking, not shooting. "Well," he said triumphantly. "I guess you're just too cowardly. How about I take over the police department, hm? Sounds like a plan! Go, my minions!"

The blue-hatters who weren't holding the Titans down quickly overwhelmed the police, who fired off only a few shots in feeble defense. Like the Titans, they had too much of a conscience to hurt these people. Soon, their police hats were replaced with the mind-control hats.

Starfire couldn't just let the city be taken over. She had to do something. "I AM SORRY CITIZENS!" she yelled as she shook the mob off of her with a yelp. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but due to her amazing strength, some people still went flying. Star flew up into the air, scoping out the situation. Beast Boy, Raven, Robin, and Cyborg were completely helpless, the first three being held by the mob, while Cyborg was almost completely covered with the minions, who were having a hard time holding him down. Starfire knew that he could break free with his strength, but since he couldn't fly the blue-hatters would just pile over him again. Starfire was unsure whether to help Robin or not. Sure, she loved him (which was something she'd never actually said to him, but she was pretty sure of it), but if she tried to help him she could risk hurting more citizens, or getting captured if they had some other trick up their sleeves. If she didn't help him, she'd be leaving him...But she could come back later with a plan, and some of the honorary Titans helping her.

But Robin wasn't as helpless as Starfire thought. Cyborg had recently built a new addition to his utility belt, one that, luckily, was voice activated, as it was designed with the "I'm being held back by a bunch of people" situation in mind. "SNEFFLE!" Robin yelled, and the device in his belt responded to its secret password and sprayed a potent knockout gas into the surrounding area. In a few seconds, every one of the mind-controlled people holding Robin had dropped to the ground. "STARFIRE!" Robin yelled, trying as hard as he could not to breathe the gas in (due to flaws of this nature, the gas was really a last-ditch effort of sorts). Luckily, Starfire had already noticed, and she swooped down to pick Robin up. As they flew clear of the gas cloud, with Starfire holding Robin under his arms, Robin yelled "WE'LL COME BACK FOR YOU!"  
Beast Boy still had no idea what was going on, and just hoped that the rest of his team would find a way to escape.

"Crap!" Control Freak groaned. "Get them! Somebody get them!" The mind-controlled policemen started firing their guns up into the air. "No, you idiots! I want them alive! Crap crap CRAP!" He stomped his foot on the stage floor.

Robin and Starfire flew farther and farther from the scene. Even though they were far away from the stage, the crowd was only just starting to thin, showing the magnitude of people that were already under the Freak's control. "We have to keep going," Robin advised his girlfriend. "Get us out of this city, then we'll decide what to do." Star continued flying, determination to save her friends fueling her emotion-controlled powers. They were exiting the park now. The streets were littered with crashed cars, probably from people that swerved to avoid the zombie-like blue-hatters searching the streets for more victims. To the left of them was a large truck parked right in the middle of the road. The back of the truck was open, and spilling out of it was hundreds of blue hats. The ones already wearing blue hats were carrying those who weren't over to the truck so they could add them to Control Freak's army. The newly-turned blue-hatters would then grab a bunch of hats and go looking for more people to put them on. Robin could see how they would spread out into other areas of the city, until everyone had a blue hat on their heads. The two flew on.  
_

"Alright," Control Freak said. "All of you except the ones holding the Titans, go out and help the others put everyone in the city under my control. Those of you who _are_ holding the Titans, stay there. Layla!" he called to his assistant.  
"Yes?" Layla said as she poked her head out of the tent's opening. She raised her hand to her mouth. "Oh wow, you really did it, huh?" Layla had stayed inside the tent while the plan was being put into action. She didn't want to see what was going on because it'd have been too stressful, and she wasn't good in high-pressure situations.  
"Yes, but Robin and Starfire got away. I want you to start looking for them as soon as we get back to headquarters. Speaking of which, Stan should be arriving any minute with everything we'll need to restrain these three and get back there...What I need you to do right now is call my associate and tell him that the plan went well, but _those two_ escaped."  
"Yes sir." Layla ran back into the tent.

Meanwhile, Raven's mind was racing. She could clearly see Control Freak from where she was being held. _Great,_ she thought angrily._ The entire city's been taken over by Evil Beast Boy._ She was happy that Robin and Starfire had escaped, but how long would they be gone? Where was the government? What the hell were they going to do with her? She heard a car approaching. This car was a limousine, which swerved around the stage and parked in front of it. Control Freak strode down the stairs on the left of the stage onto the grass. The driver's side door opened, and out stepped the same fat man who had given Raven a hat when she went undercover. Except now he was wearing a chicken suit. "Hey both!" He said, his lisp making "boss" rhyme with "moth".  
"Hey Stan. How's it _haaaaaangin'_?" Control Freak replied, and the two burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing ever._  
Was that...An inside joke? _Raven was not amused.  
"Fine, dude," Stan said after the laughter died down. "I got everything we need in the limo."

"Alright. Check this out!" Control Freak turned to the remaining blue-hatters, the ones holding the Titans. "Alright, you guys! Bring 'em over here!" Raven and the others was brought over to the limousine, Raven's mouth still covered by a blue-hatter's hand. "Awesome, right?" the handsome one said.  
"Totally," the fat one replied.  
Raven glared at them with all her rage. Control Freak noticed, and hit her with a winning smile.  
"Oh, you," he said passively. "Alright Stan, let's get these two tied up." Control Freak and Stanley strode over to the trunk of the limousine and opened it. The Freak reached in and pulled out a roll of duct tape, which he handed to Stan. "You do the honors, buddy."  
"Theriouthly? Awethome!" He ran over to Raven. The blue-hatters didn't attack him because he was already wearing a hat. Raven suspected that this hat didn't have any technology in it, and was given to Stan by Control Freak so he wouldn't be attacked. As Stan ripped a length of tape off of the roll, the blue-hatter took his hand off of Raven's mouth.  
"AZARATH METRION ZINPHHH!" Well, it was worth a shot.  
"You know..." Stan said as he patted the tape over her mouth to make sure it was secure. "Now that I thee you up close, you look thort of familiar...Like I've actually met you before." He thought for a bit. "Eh! Mutht be my mind fooling me. Thee ya later babe!" He jogged back to the limosine. _When I get out of this,_ thought the grey-skinned girl, _You're first._

A few minutes later, that same limousine was speeding through the streets of Jump City. Actually, it wasn't speeding at all. "COME ON!" Control Freak yelled as he honked the horn at the blue-hatters wandering the streets. "GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!" The seating in the limo was situated like this: Control Freak was driving, and his chicken-suited friend was sitting next to him. The back of the limo was like the back of a normal limo, with the seats being on the left and right sides, instead of at the back. There was a mini-bar in the back, though no one was using it. Layla (now wearing a fake hat like Stan) was sitting on a left-hand seat, and next to her was a tied-up Raven. Her cowl had been removed so the blue-hatters could tie her up easier (Control Freak had tried to tie her up, but got so frustrated that he just ordered his minions to do it), so she sat on the cold leather wearing only her leotard. She was silent.

Cyborg sat across from her, unconscious. Rather than tying him up while he was awake and screaming bloody murder, Control Freak had done something Raven did not expect. He had taken an iPod out of his pocket and stuck an earbud into the struggling Cyborg's ear. In a matter of seconds, the angry Titan's movements slowed to a stop. He was knocked out. After this, Control Freak had paused for a moment, before remarking that he was surprised that actually worked. He had told Stan (while they were walking back to the limousine) that he had done some research and discovered a frequency that, when played, caused certain sound-operated machines to short out. He had surmised that Cyborg, having a completely cybernetic brain, might have the same reaction.

This is what kept Raven silent. She knew Control Freak was smart, but here he had discovered an indentifiable weakness for one of the team. If he could do this for one of them, why not the others? What if Control Freak had some sort of heat lamp that prevented Beast Boy (whose hat prison was currently being held by Stan) from transforming? Who knows how far across the city, state, country, or even world Control Freak's reach extended. If he had the money to make thousands and thousands of hates with complicated mind-control technology built into them, who knows what else he could have done? For all Raven knew, the President of the United States could have a blue hat on his head at that very mom-

"Thinking about my plan?"

Damn was he good.

"Don't worry, it'll all pan out. Right now, the thing keeping the army from jumping in here and shooting me is the threat of every single person in Jump City wearing a blue hat committing suicide - And that's a considerable a - GET OUT OF THE WAY! - amount right now. Their only hope is to stop the mind control signal from its point of origin, which they will _never_ be able to find, considering that yours truly has set up a few encryption codes and the like to prevent such snooping. I'll give you a hint though - It ain't in North America!"

If there was one thing a villain always did wrong, it was to tell the hero his plan before trying to kill them. While Control Freak didn't put so much of his plan out in the open, Raven now knew that, for now, the only blue-hatters around were all in Jump City. However, his other words did not comfort her very much either. With that many hostages, almost no one would dare to kill or apprehend Control Freak - Not even a more shady character like Red X. And stopping the mind-control did not seem very easy. Raven glared at Control Freak intensely, though his face was turned towards the road.

"Oh, and don't think I'm going to try to put a hat on you, Rae - With your weird powers, I wouldn't want to risk wiring your mind the wrong way. I don't want to end up releasing some demon...But what's going to become of you and - MOOOOOOVE - your team is later. Now, we return to the headquarters to celebrate our victory and talk to my associate..."

_Who is this associate, anyway?_ Raven wondered. She hoped with all her often steely heart that Robin and Starfire were okay.

In the outskirts of Jump City, there was an old barn. It was not in very good condition, having been abandoned for a number of years. Its most frequent visitors were wild raccons and dogs, but today it would have two more guests. Slowly ascending from the air after half an hour of continuous flight was Starfire, with Robin still holding awkwardly onto her, his arms around her waist. As they touched down on the ground, both of them let sighed loudly, partly because it was a relief they had escaped, and partly because the continous flight had taxed the two physically. They did not land anywhere until now, as they did not want to face the blue-hatters and did not want to trek through miles of tall grass. After taking a short breather, they entered the barn, which looked completely empty. But Robin and Starfire knew better. After their initial escape, they had talked while flying over Jump City and had decided on going to this location. It was only logical, after all. Hidden behind one of the wooden boards that made up the farm's wall was a keypad that, when a certain sequence of numbers was entered, would trigger a metal door hidden under the debris that was the floor to open. This barn was a place that nobody but the five Titans knew of; a place Robin and Cyborg had constructed soon after the contruction on Titans Tower was finished; a place only to be used in exactly the type of situation Robin and Starfire were in now. This was the Titans' safehouse, and it was where the two teammates would decide what to do next.


End file.
